Officials to raze damaged earth lodge at Kearney Archway

KEARNEY — The earth lodge at The Archway will be torn down following the collapse of its roof.

Archway officials have decided that repairing the structure would be too costly. The collapse occurred May 27.

Archway spokesman Mark Foradori says such structures built on the Great Plains used only the materials available and had a useful life of around seven years. He says the Archway lodge was erected in 2010, and most of the supporting posts have rotted to the point that repairing the lodge would mean completely rebuilding it.

The Archway spans Interstate 80 at Kearney and features exhibits commemorating the Oregon, Mormon and California pioneer trails and the nation's highway systems and railroads.